Hand bitten off by alligator, man now charged with having fed it

In a case literally about adding insult to injury, a Florida man was charged Friday with having fed the alligator that bit off his hand. Wallace Weatherholt is an Everglades airboat captain who had his hand bitten clean off last June.

After the incident, wildlife officials found the animal and killed it, at which time Weatherholt's hand was removed from its stomach; it could not, however, be reattached. Feeding alligators will cause them to lose their natural fear of humans and they become more likely to attack, and so is a misdemeanor in Florida.

The six tourists in the boat when Weatherholt's hand was taken reported the 63-year-old held his hand over the water's surface with a fish and the 9 foot-alligator leaped up and disappeared with his hand. Weatherholt was placed into jail but he posted a $1,000 bond and was released. His court date is August 22.